Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the automatic measurement of blood pressure, and more particularly
to a method and apparatus for removing artifact while taking blood pressure measurements.
Background of the Invention
[0002] Automatic blood pressure monitors are commonly used to periodically measure the blood
pressure of a patient. In most automatic blood pressure monitors, a pressure cuff
is attached to a patient's arm over the brachial artery. The cuff is first pressurized
with an applied pressure that is high enough to substantially occlude the brachial
artery. The cuff pressure is then gradually reduced, either continuously or in increments.
As the pressure is reduced to systolic pressure, the flow of blood through the brachial
artery beneath the cuff increases substantially.
[0003] When the blood flows through the brachial artery following each contraction of the
heart, it imparts a pulsatile movement to the wall of the artery. This pulsatile movement
is coupled to the blood pressure cuff extending over the artery as minute changes
in the cuff pressure, which are known oscillometric pulses. Automatic blood pressure
monitors measure and record the amplitude of the oscillometric pulses at a number
of cuff pressures. After the blood pressure measurement has been completed, a table,
referred to as the oscillometric table, is formed containing the peak oscillometric
pulse amplitudes recorded at each cuff pressure.
[0004] In theory, the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure can then be
determined from the values in the table using theoretical and/or empirical definitions
of these parameters as a function of the amplitudes of these oscillometric pulses.
However, blood pressure measurements are often adversely affected by artifact, produced
by patient movement, shiver, or arrhythmias. Motion-induced artifact can substantially
alter the measured amplitude of oscillometric pulses, thus introducing inaccuracies
in the measurement of the patient's blood pressure.
[0005] In some blood pressure measurement systems where the applied pressure is bled down
in steps, at each step the peak amplitude of the oscillations is detected. By measuring
the time elapsing between successive peaks, the heart rate can be calculated.
[0006] Oscillometric values generally increase from low values at applied pressures above
the systolic to a maximum value at applied pressures between systolic and diastolic.
Similarly, the values generally increase from low values at applied pressures less
than diastolic to the maximum value. Current methods generally choose the largest
entry in the oscillometric table as this maximum value. However, artifact will result
in spurious high or low values in the table and may be mistaken for the true maximum
value in the table, causing erroneous determinations of systolic and diastolic blood
pressures. It is desirable therefore to detect and eliminate these spurious high and
low values in the table.
[0007] As mentioned above, artifact induced noise often obscures the maximum oscillometric
peak by either making the maximum oscillometric pulse appear to be smaller or by making
other oscillometric pulses appear to be larger, creating a number of local maxima,
i.e., values adjacent to lesser values. It is often not possible to determine which
of these maxima is the true "maximum" oscillometric peak by direct measurement. Since
the systolic, diastolic, and mean pressures are a function of the maximum oscillometric
pulse, this can result in inaccurate readings.
Summary of the Invention
[0008] This system includes such conventional components such as a blood pressure cuff,
an air pump, a valve and a pressure transducer in fluid communication with the blood
pressure cuff. The pressure transducer generates a signal indicative of the steady
state fluid pressure in the blood pressure cuff and the amplitude of oscillometric
pulses detected in the cuff. A processor energizes the air pump to inflate the blood
pressure cuff, periodically energizes the valve to incrementally reduce the stead
state fluid pressure in the blood pressure cuff and records each pressure of the blood
pressure cuff at which a measurement was taken as well as the peak amplitude of the
oscillometric pulses at that cuff pressure. At the end of the blood pressure measurement,
the processor has recorded a table of cuff pressures and corresponding peak oscillometric
pulse amplitudes.
[0009] After the table has been completed, the processor then examines the table as a whole
by determining all local maxima of the peak amplitudes of the oscillometric pulses
in the table, the processor also determines the longest sequence of the peak amplitudes
of the oscillometric pulses adjacent to each of the local maxima. The sequences examined
are sequences of decreasing amplitudes on each side of the local maxima. Once the
longest sequences are determined, the processor adds the number of peak amplitudes
in the longest sequence of decreasing amplitudes on the right side with the number
of peak amplitudes in the longest sequence of decreasing amplitudes on the left side
to obtain a total number of peak amplitudes for each of the local maxima. The processor
then chooses a true maximum value from one of the local maxima in the table by comparing
the total number of peak amplitudes for each local maxima and selecting the local
maxima having the largest total number of amplitudes. The processor then calculates
the diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure and the
heart rate, after it has discarded from the table all entries that are not part of
the sequences adjacent to the true maximum value.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the inventive system for automatically
making oscillometric blood pressure measurements.
[0011] Figure 2 is a flow chart of software used to program a microprocessor used in the
system of Figure 1.
[0012] Figure 3 is a flow chart of software used by the microprocessor of Figure 1 to determine
the peak oscillometric pulse at a given steady state pressure.
[0013] Figure 4 is a graphic representation of a table formed during the operation of the
system of Figure 1 using the program of Figure 2.
[0014] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a subroutine called by the program of Figure 2 to evaluate
an oscillometric table of the type shown in Figure 4.
[0015] Figure 6 is a graphic representation of the remaining table of values which are used
to determine the systolic, diastolic, mean and heart rate.
[0016] Figure 7 is a flow chart of software used by the microprocessor of Figure 1 to determine
the diastolic, systolic and mean blood pressure as well as the heart rate of a patient.
Detailed Description of the Invention
[0017] One embodiment of an automatic blood pressure monitor 20 using the inventive artifact
rejection method and apparatus is illustrated in Figure 1. The monitor 20 is composed
of a number of hardware components, all of which are conventional. The monitor includes
a conventional blood pressure cuff 22 in fluid communication through tubes 24 and
26 with a conventional pump 28, a conventional solenoid valve 30, and a conventional
pressure transducer 32. The pump 28 and solenoid valve 30 are electrically connected
to respective output ports of a conventional microprocessor 40, which controls the
operation of the pump 28 and solenoid valve 30 in a conventional manner.
[0018] During the operation of the automatic blood pressure measuring system, the pump 28
inflates the blood pressure cuff 22 to a pressure that is greater than the expected
systolic pressure, as indicated by the pressure transducer 32. The solenoid valve
30 is then opened, usually for a predetermined period, although it may be continuously
open to allow a slight leakage of air from the blood pressure cuff 22. However, the
valve 30 normally allows air to escape from the cuff 22 fairly rapidly in relatively
small increments. As the pressure in the cuff 22 is reduced, either gradually or incrementally,
the pressure in the cuff 22 is measured by the pressure transducer 32.
[0019] The pressure in the blood pressure cuff 22 consists of two components, namely, a
relatively constant, or "DC", component and a relatively variable, or "AC", component.
The relatively constant component defines the occlusive force of the blood pressure
cuff 22. The relatively variable component is produced by pressure pulses in the brachial
artery beneath the cuff 22 which impart minute changes in the pressure of the cuff
22 following each contraction of the heart. Thus, the relatively constant DC component
of the pressure in the cuff can be used as an indication of cuff pressure, while the
relatively variable AC component of the pressure in the cuff 22 can be used to determine
the amplitude of an oscillometric pulse.
[0020] A signal obtained from the pressure transducer 32 is supplied to a conventional analog-to-digital
(A/D) converter 36, where it is digitized and sent through a bus 42 for use by the
microprocessor 40. In many modem blood pressure devices, the A/D converter 36 is actually
contained on the microprocessor chip. Whether the A/D converter 36 is on the microprocessor
chip or whether it is located on a separate chip, the microprocessor 40 has access
to a digitized signal indicative of the output from the pressure transducer 32.
[0021] The microprocessor 40 extracts the two components of the pressure in the blood pressure
cuff 22, namely, (a) the pressure within the cuff, and (b) the minute change in the
pressure of the cuff 22 following each contraction of the heart. Alternatively, the
separation of the cuff pressure into these two components can be accomplished by external
hardware filters, as is quite common in older automatic blood pressure monitors. Whether
the separation is accomplished by external hardware filters or by an algorithm internal
to the microprocessor 40 is not important for the current invention.
[0022] As mentioned above, the microprocessor 40 is of conventional variety and, as is typical
with such devices, is connected to a random access memory 44, used for the storage
of data, and to either random access memory or read-only memory 46 that contains the
software for operating the microprocessor 40. Operator controls 48, such as a keyboard
or buttons, are also connected to the microprocessor 40.
[0023] As explained above, the microprocessor 40 is controlled by software that is stored
in a series of program instructions in the memory 46. Flow charts from which object
code can be easily and quickly written by one skilled in the art are illustrated in
Figures 2, 3, 5, and 7. With reference to Figure 2, the main program starts at 50,
either through an operator command, automatically at power-up, or when called by another
program stored in the memory 46. As is conventional with microprocessor-based systems,
the microprocessor 40 (Figure 1) is initialized at step 52 to set up the software
for subsequent processing, such as, for example, by establishing tables that will
subsequently contain data, by setting flags and by setting variables to known values.
The microprocessor 40 applies a signal to the air pump 28 in step 54 to inflate the
cuff 22. At the same time, the microprocessor 40 periodically samples the output of
the A/D converter 36 to monitor the cuff pressure. The step 52 also includes the step
of calculating a target for the cuff pressure, such as greater than systolic, or often
to a predetermined level, for example, 165 millimeters of mercury. Then microprocessor
40 continues to apply the signal to the air pump 28 until the cuff pressure has reached
the target value.
[0024] Proceeding from these steps, the main program calls a subroutine in step 56 that
collects an oscillometric peak and places it into a table. The steps of the subroutine
for collecting an oscillometric peak are shown in Figure 3 and require the microprocessor
40 being interrupt driven in a conventional manner so that it periodically performs
a clock driven interrupt service routine. With reference to Figure 3, the subroutine
called at step 56 is entered at step 70 in which it remains in a loop until the interrupt
has been serviced. The subroutine then proceeds to step 72 where the digitized signal
representing the minute changes in the pressure of the cuff is processed, the proper
criteria for a set of samples being considered an oscillometric peak is established,
and outputs corresponding to the processed digitized signal and oscillometric peak
criteria are generated. The subroutine then checks at step 74 to see if the criteria
established at step 72 have been met. The criteria for determining if a set of samples
is characteristic of an oscillometric peak are conventional and are thus not explained
herein. If the samples are not characteristic of an oscillometric peak, the subroutine
returns to step 70 to await another interrupt. If the samples do have the characteristic
of an oscillometric peak, the subroutine branches to step 76 to store the amplitude
of the oscillometric peak in the table along with the current cuff pressure so that
the amplitude of the oscillometric peak is correlated with the cuff pressure at which
the oscillometric pulse occurred. The subroutine then checks at step 78 to see if
enough data has been collected at the current cuff pressure, i.e., does the oscillometric
peak meet the amplitude or timing constraints of the algorithm? If enough data have
not been collected, the subroutine returns to step 70 to await another interrupt,
and then collects another sample at step 72 as explained above before, once again
checking for sufficient data at step 78. If the subroutine determines at step 78 that
all the pertinent data for each oscillometric peak have been collected; the subroutine
exits and returns to the main program at step 58, as shown in Figure 2.
[0025] Returning to Figure 2, after the initial oscillometric peak has been recorded, the
program in step 58 opens solenoid valve 30 and reduces the cuff pressure by four to
eight mm Hg. The program then once again calls the subroutine of Figure 3 in step
60 to collect into the table a new value for an oscillometric peak. After returning
to the main program, the program proceeds to step 62 where it tests to determine if
the cuff pressure is less than 80 mm Hg. The program will continue to loop through
steps 58-62 until the cuff pressure has dropped below 80 mm Hg. Once the main program
determines at step 62 that the cuff pressure has reached the pressure level of 80
mm Hg, the program proceeds to step 64 where it calls a subroutine that evaluates
the oscillometric table.
[0026] The data stored in the table after sufficient data have been obtained may appear
for example as:
CUFF PRESSURE |
PULSE AMPLITUDE |
150 |
0 |
140 |
5 |
130 |
9.2 |
120 |
10 |
110 |
9.7 |
100 |
7.5 |
90 |
5 |
80 |
2.5 |
70 |
0 |
[0027] The interval between oscillometric pulses are also stored and these data are used
to calculate the heart rate.
[0028] Figure 4 is a graphical representation of the contents of a table, similar to the
one above, showing the oscillometric peak at each applied pressure. In the Figure
there are two local maxima 80, i.e., an entry that is larger than the point to the
left and to the right of it. The following subroutine acts on the assumption that
true oscillometric peaks should form a series of increasing values from above systolic
pressure to the mean pressure; and a series of decreasing values from the mean pressure
to below diastolic pressure. On the basis of this assumption, the inventive method
and apparatus is able to determine accurate approximations of the true oscillometric
peaks from artifact affected data of the type shown in Figure 4.
[0029] Figure 5 is a flow chart of the subroutine called by the main program at step 64
(Figure 2) for evaluating the oscillometric table. With reference to Figure 5, the
subroutine is entered at step 90 where it identifies all of the local maxima 80 in
the oscillometric table. In this step, each one of the local maxima 80 is assigned
an index number 1 through n, for example, the maxima 80a (shown in Figure 4) would
be assigned I=1, and 80b assigned I=2. Next, at step 92, the value I is set equal
to 1, and the value current max, discussed below, is set to zero. The program then
proceeds to step 94 where, for each local maxima 80 in the oscillometric table, the
program finds the number of oscillometric peaks in the longest sequence of decreasing
amplitudes from the right side of the designated maxima 80. The number of peaks in
this sequence is assigned to a variable RIGHT NUM. Then in step 95, the number of
peaks in the longest decreasing sequence of amplitudes from the left side of the designated
maxima 80 are determined and assigned to a variable LEFT NUM. The value of RIGHT NUM
and LEFT NUM for the designated maxima 80 are then added in step 96 to obtain a value
of TOTAL NUM. In step 98, the value of TOTAL NUM is compared against the value of
CURRENT MAX, which was initially set to zero in step 92. If the value of TOTAL NUM
exceeds CURRENT MAX, then the value of CURRENT MAX is updated in step 100 to become
the current value of TOTAL NUM. Further, in the step of 100, a variable BEST MAX is
set equal to the value I of the maxima 80 that was found in step 98 to have a TOTAL
NUM which exceeded the CURRENT MAX. The value I is then incremented by one in step
102. However, if the subroutine determines at step 98 that the value of TOTAL NUM
for the current maxima 80 does not exceed the value of CURRENT MAX, then step 100
is bypassed and I is immediately incremented by one in step 102. In step 104, the
program checks to see if there is another maxima 80 corresponding to the newly incremented
value of I. For example, if I were equal to 1 prior to step 102 and then incremented
to a value of 2 in step 102, step 104 would look to see if there is a maxima corresponding
to the value of I=2, which in this case as shown in Figure 4 would correspond to the
value 80b. The program will continue to loop through steps 94-104 until the TOTAL
NUM for each local maxima 80 has been compared with each other maxima 80 in the table.
[0030] The subroutine of Figure 5 would process a table corresponding to the example shown
in Figure 4 in the following manner. First, the index number I is incremented to 1
in step 92 and the corresponding maxima 80a is examined in steps 94 and 95. These
steps determine that there are only two peaks 81 in the longest decreasing sequence
of amplitudes from the right of maxima 80a, so RIGHT NUM=2, and there is only one
peak 83 in the longest decreasing sequence of amplitudes from the left of 80a, so
LEFT NUM=1. Accordingly, the TOTAL NUM of maxima 80a would equal 3 and would replace
the initial zero value of CURRENT MAX in step 100. In step 102 the value I is incremented
to 2. Then in the second loop of steps 94-104, the variable RIGHT NUM for maxima 80b
would equal 3, while the variable LEFT NUM for maxima 80b would equal 2, yielding
a value for TOTAL NUM of 5, which is greater than the value of TOTAL NUM for maxima
80a. Thus, in step 100 the variable CURRENT MAX would be set to 5 and the variable
BEST MAX would be reset to 2. The subroutine will then proceed to step 102 and increment
I to 3. After the incremental step of 102, the step of 104 will test to determine
if there is a maxima corresponding to the value 3 and in the present example no such
value exists. Once the subroutine determines at step 104 that there are no more local
maxima to evaluate, the subroutine proceeds to step 106.
[0031] In step 106, the subroutine removes all entries from the table that are not the true
maximum or part of the longest sequences corresponding to the chosen true maximum.
This leaves a raw table with decreasing entries from the true maximum to the ends,
as shown in Figure 6. The subroutine then exits and returns to step 66 of the main
program shown in Figure 2. In this step 66, the program tests to see if a reading
can be determined. If a reading cannot be determined, the program returns to step
58, and new oscillometric peaks are collected into the table in steps 58 - 64, as
explained above. However, if a reading can be determined, then the program calls at
step 67 a subroutine for calculating pressures, which is shown in Figure 7.
[0032] With reference to Figure 7, the "calculate results" subroutine is entered at step
110, and the diastolic pressure is calculated in a conventional manner from the data
in the table after being corrected for artifact in steps 94 - 106 of Figure 5 at step
112. The "calculate results" subroutine then progresses to step 114 to calculate the
systolic pressure in a conventional manner from the corrected data. The program then
proceeds to step 116 where it calculates the mean arterial pressure in a conventional
manner from the data in the table that has been corrected for artifact, as described
above. The heart rate is calculated in step 118 by a conventional process, and the
subroutine then returns to the main program (Figure 2) at step 68. Finally, as shown
in Figure 2, the cuff is deflated in step 68 and the process of measuring the blood
pressure and heart rate is terminated.
[0033] It is thus seen that the inventive method and apparatus for determining the arterial
blood pressure of a patient utilizes hardware found in conventional automatic blood
pressure monitors and it calculates the arterial pressure using the same method that
conventional blood pressure monitors already use to obtain and to calculate the diastolic
and systolic blood pressures. Furthermore; the system is able to accurately determine
the mean arterial pressure, and the systolic and diastolic pressures, despite the
presence of artifact in the monitoring process by examining an entire oscillometric
table; determining a true maximum oscillometric peak and discarding erroneous values.
[0034] While the foregoing has been a discussion of a specific embodiment of the present
invention; those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications to
the disclosed embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only to the following claims.
1. A blood pressure monitor, comprising:
a blood pressure cuff;
an air pump in fluid communication with said blood pressure cuff to direct pressurized
air into said cuff;
a valve in fluid communication with said blood pressure cuff to selectively vent said
cuff to atmosphere;
a pressure transducer in fluid communication with said blood pressure cuff; said pressure
transducer generating a signal indicative of a steady state fluid pressure in said
blood pressure cuff corresponding to an occlusive pressure exerted by said blood pressure
cuff on an artery and a transient fluid pressure in said blood pressure cuff indicative
of the amplitude of an oscillometric pulse;
an analog-to-digital converter connected to said pressure transducer for sampling
the output of said pressure transducer and generating respective digital samples corresponding
to the output of said pressure transducer; and
a processor electrically connected to said air pump, said valve and said analog-to-digital
converter, said processor receiving the respective digital samples corresponding to
the signal indicative of the steady state fluid pressure in said blood pressure cuff
and the amplitude of the oscillometric pulses, said processing device energizing said
air pump to inflate said blood pressure cuff; selectively energizing said valve to
reduce the steady state fluid pressure in said blood pressure cuff, recording in a
table the steady state fluid pressure and the amplitude of a peak of the oscillometric
pulses at such pressure, determining all local maxima of the oscillometric peaks in
the table, determining the longest sequences of oscillometric peaks adjacent to each
of the local maxima, selecting one of the local maxima as a true maximum value based
on a comparison of the longest sequences of oscillometric peaks at cuff pressures
adjacent to and above and below the cuff pressure at which each of the local maxima
occurred; and computing at least one of the diastolic blood pressure, the systolic
blood pressure, and the mean blood pressure based on the true maximum value.
2. The blood pressure monitor of claim 1 wherein the determining of the longest sequences
of oscillometric peaks adjacent to each of the local maxima by said processor comprises:
finding the longest sequence of oscillometric peaks having amplitudes that are in
sequentially decreasing order taken at cuff pressures that increase from the cuff
pressure at which the local maxima was obtained; and
finding the longest sequence of oscillometric peaks having amplitudes that are in
sequentially decreasing order taken at cuff pressures that decrease from the cuff
pressure at which the local maxima was obtained.
3. The blood pressure monitor of claim 2 wherein the selecting of the true maximum value
by said processor comprises:
adding the number of the oscillometric peaks in the longest sequence of decreasing
amplitudes taken at cuff pressures above the cuff pressure at which the local maxima
was obtained with the number of oscillometric peaks in the longest sequence of decreasing
amplitudes taken at cuff pressures below the cuff pressure at which the local maxima
was obtained to determine a total number of oscillometric peaks for each maxima;
comparing the total number of oscillometric peaks for each maxima; and
choosing as the true maximum the maxima having the largest total number.
4. The blood pressure monitor of claim 1 wherein said processor further creates a modified
table by discarding from the table of the peak oscillometric pulses all data except
the local maxima chosen as the true maximum and the longest oscillometric peak sequences
used to choose the local maxima as the true maximum.
5. The blood pressure monitor of claim 4 wherein the processor computes at least one
of the diastolic blood pressure, the systolic blood pressure and the mean blood pressure
using the modified table.
6. A method for using a blood pressure monitor of the type having a blood pressure cuff:
an air pump in fluid communication with the cuff to direct pressurized air into the
cuff, a valve in fluid communication with the cuff to selectively vent the cuff to
atmosphere, a pressure transducer in fluid communication with said cuff generating
an output including a pressure signal indicative of a steady state fluid pressure
in the cuff corresponding to an occlusive pressure exerted by said cuff on an artery
and a transient fluid pressure in said cuff indicative of an amplitude of an oscillometric
pulse, a processor in electrical communication with said air pump and said valve for
selectively energizing said air pump or valve to pressurize or depressurize said cuff,
respectively; said method comprising:
setting the steady state fluid pressure in said cuff to an initial value;
selectively energizing the air valve to reduce the steady state fluid pressure in
the blood pressure cuff;
sampling the pressure signal output by said pressure transducer resulting from variations
in the fluid pressure in the cuff caused by the oscillometric pressure pulses;
recording in a table the steady state fluid pressure at which each sample is taken
and the amplitude of the peak oscillometric pressure pulses at such steady state fluid
pressure;
determining all local maxima of the oscillometric peaks in the table;
determining the longest sequences of the oscillometric peaks at cuff pressures adjacent
to and above and below the cuff pressure at which each of the local maxima occurred;
selecting one of the local maxima as a true maximum value based on a comparison of
the longest sequences adjacent to each of the local maxima; and
computing at least one of the diastolic blood pressure; the systolic blood pressure;
and the mean blood pressure based on the true maximum value.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of determining the longest sequences adjacent
to each of the local maxima comprises:
finding the longest sequence of oscillometric peaks having amplitudes that are in
sequentially decreasing order taken at cuff pressures that increase from the cuff
pressure at which the local maxima was obtained; and
finding the longest sequence of oscillometric peaks having amplitudes that are in
sequentially decreasing order taken at cuff pressures that decrease from the cuff
pressure at which the local maxima was obtained.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of selecting the true maximum comprises:
adding the number of the oscillometric peaks in the longest sequence of decreasing
amplitudes taken at cuff pressures above the cuff pressure at which the local maxima
was obtained with the number of oscillometric peaks in the longest sequence of decreasing
amplitudes taken at cuff pressures below the cuff pressure at which the local maxima
was obtained to determine a total number of-oscillometric peaks for each maxima;
comparing the total number of oscillometric peaks for each maxima; and
choosing as the true maximum the maxima having the largest total number.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein said method further comprises the step of:
creating a modified table by discarding from the table formed during said recording
step all data except the local maxima chosen as the true maximum and the longest oscillometric
peak sequences used to choose the local maxima as the true maximum.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said computing step is performed using the modified
table.
11. A blood pressure monitor, comprising:
a blood pressure cuff;
an air pump in fluid communication with said blood pressure cuff to direct pressurized
air into said cuff;
a valve in fluid communication with said blood pressure cuff to selectively vent said
cuff to atmosphere;
a pressure transducer in fluid communication with said blood pressure cuff, said pressure
transducer generating a signal indicative of a steady state fluid pressure in said
blood pressure cuff corresponding to an occlusive pressure exerted by said blood pressure
cuff on an artery and a transient fluid pressure in said blood pressure cuff indicative
of the amplitude of an oscillometric pulse;
a processor electrically connected to said air pump and said valve; said processor
receiving the signal indicative of the steady state fluid pressure in said blood pressure
cuff and the amplitude of the oscillometric pulses, said processor energizing said
air pump to inflate said blood pressure cuff to an initial value; selectively energizing
said valve to reduce the steady state fluid pressure in said blood pressure cuff recording
in a table the steady state fluid pressure and the amplitude of a peak of the oscillometric
pulses at such pressure, determining all local maxima of the oscillometric peaks in
the table, counting each of the oscillometric peaks in the longest sequence of decreasing
amplitudes at cuff pressures above and below the cuff pressure at which the local
maxima was obtained, adding each of the oscillometric peaks counted for the local
maxima to determine a total number of peaks for each maxima, comparing the total number
of peaks for each maxima, selecting one of the local maxima as a true maximum value
by choosing the maxima having the largest total number of peaks, modifying the table
by retaining from the table only the oscillometric peaks of the true maximum value
and the peaks in the longest sequence of decreasing amplitudes at cuff pressures above
and below the cuff pressure at which the local maxima was obtained, and computing
at least one of the diastolic blood pressure, the systolic blood pressure and the
mean blood pressure using the modified table.